History thread

[Tatooine_legend1]

I thought I'd start this thread as I enjoy learning about history, this includes paleontology and archaeology. I enjoy a lot of different periods of history, but especially ancient history to early humans, all the way back to the mesozoic era of the dinosaurs.

Feel free to post any interesting historical stories in here and we can discuss.

Here's a few recent stories to start off with:


Mosaic found in Turkey, could be one of the oldest:

Archeologists find a 3,500-year-old mosaic in central Turkey - Arkeonews

Archaeologists have discovered a 3,500-year-old mosaic in central Turkey, which might be one of the world's oldest.

arkeonews.net

Ancient shipwreck discovered off the coast of Croatia:

Ancient shipwreck dating back to the 2nd century BC was discovered off the coast of Croatia - Arkeonews

A shipwreck dating to the 2nd century BC has been discovered in the shallow waters of the Adriatic Sea near the Croatian island of Ilovik.

arkeonews.net

4000 year old Bronze age coffin discovered under golf course in Lincolnshire:

Rare Bronze Age coffin uncovered on UK golf course

The coffin held the remains of a tall man and ax.

www.livescience.com

Males and females at Herculaneum had different diets:

Males and females at Herculaneum had different diets, research suggests | The Past

‘Males had greater access to marine fish at Herculaneum and more broadly in Roman Italy.’

the-past.com

I will continue to update:

 

[MaineCoonMama]

Yes, I love archaeology and history in general! I follow a YouTube archaeologist called Stefan Milo, he has some fascinating documentary-style clips to watch.

 

[Unspiralled]

I do work on stable isotopes so I love anything to do with prehistoric diets like that last article!

 

[Tatooine_legend1]

I will con

I do work on stable isotopes so I love anything to do with prehistoric diets like that last article!

I like learning about the diets of ancient peoples. The Hadza tribe are a tribe which go back about 40,000 years, and there are many around today, following the same diet. They are fascinating as they give us a glimpse into what our hunter gatherer ancestors would have lived like.

 

[MaineCoonMama]

I find Skara Brae endlessly fascinating. I live in Australia and as much as I like our Indigenous culture they were mainly nomadic so left no real tangible traces of where they lived. I'd love to see old bronze/Neolithic/copper age settlements one day.

 

[Tatooine_legend1]

fossils and ancient DNA paint a vibrant picture of human origins.

Fossils and ancient DNA paint a vibrant picture of human origins

Paleoanthropologists have sketched a rough timeline of how human evolution played out, centering the early action in Africa.

www.sciencenews.org

The dinosaur-ending meteorite did much more to our planet:

The dinosaur-ending meteorite did much more to our planet

We all know that the dinosaurs might well have been wiped out by a meteorite, but what other changes did that impact cause on our planet? New research may shed some light, writes Becky Ferreira

www.independent.co.uk

Doggerland: Lost ‘Atlantis’ of the North Sea gives up its ancient secrets

https://www.archive.is/oldest/https...of-the-north-sea-gives-up-its-ancient-secrets

 

[F the dust.]

Love history. In particular the Victorian era and Tudors! Just bought a Victorian house and fingers ate crossed for hidden treasures.

 

[Taetae95]

Love history so great thread idea! Will be more of a lurker but parking myself here

 

[F the dust.]

Hope no one minds but if like to ask...i lost my mam this year and dads coming to us for Christmas. I'm hoping to re create a 1950s christmas, when he'd have been a child which I know is maybe not too historical. Any tips or knowledge who's be really appreciated

 

[Tatooine_legend1]

Kids' fossilized handprints may be some of the world's oldest art

Kids' fossilized handprints may be some of the world's oldest art

Newfound hand and footprints on the Tibetan Plateau date about 169,000 to 226,000 years old.

www.livescience.com

I love the stuff about neanderthals and the Paleolithic period. The research that has been done is fascinating. They were intelligent beings, not some clumbersome knuckle draggers like they are often portrayed to be. We arrogantly think we are the smartest homo species, but the research says otherwise.

 

[ChampagneBox]

This is interesting! I’m always interested when historians work out a cosmic event was responsible for something like this, and it’s so interesting to see the records people at the time made of the event, not knowing it was to do with space!

https://www.archive.is/oldest/https...Tall-el-Hammam-destroyed-cosmic-airburst.html

 

[Sheabutter]

I don’t know why but this short story of Ulugh Beg Observatory always spoke to me. The ruler Ulugh Beg was scientifically advanced but he was not a skilled leader. He built a remarkable observatory and catalogued stars long before the telescope was invented. Ultimately, fanatics destroyed the observatory and sent him on a pilgrimage but on the way his son had him assassinated.

Ulugh Beg Observatory in Samarkand

Light still pours into the ruins of this ancient Islamic observatory.

www.atlasobscura.com

 

[Notorious PIG]

I’ve been interested in Greek mythology ever since learning about it in primary school 30 years ago, but only in recent years developed an interest in general history from all sorts of eras, be it Greco-Roman, WW2, 1950s, Victorian, etc. I’ve a particular amazement with the capabilities of ancient people. I was wowed when I recently saw one of the first roads and first underground sewage systems ever built.

Some of my favorite historical places I’ve visited so far are:

Acropolis, Athens
Al Hambra Palace, Granada
Knossos Palace, Minoa, Crete
King Henry VIII’s Palace, Hampton Court
La Brea Tar Pit, Los Angeles
Pompei

 

[MaineCoonMama]

I’ve been interested in Greek mythology ever since learning about it in primary school 30 years ago, but only in recent years developed an interest in general history from all sorts of eras, be it Greco-Roman, WW2, 1950s, Victorian, etc. I’ve a particular amazement with the capabilities of ancient people. I was wowed when I recently saw one of the first roads and first underground sewage systems ever built.

Some of my favorite historical places I’ve visited so far are:

Acropolis, Athens
Al Hambra Palace, Granada
Knossos Palace, Minoa, Crete
King Henry VIII’s Palace, Hampton Court
La Brea Tar Pit, Los Angeles
Pompei

I'm on a bit of a Pompeii bender at the moment. I saw the exhibition( in Australia) when on a school trip many years ago and it was incredible. I can't imagine how it must be to see the real thing.

I was lucky enough to visit the La Brea Tar Pits when I was ten, that's what really kick-started my fascination with all things ancient.

 

[smellsofbiscuits]

Hope no one minds but if like to ask...i lost my mam this year and dads coming to us for Christmas. I'm hoping to re create a 1950s christmas, when he'd have been a child which I know is maybe not too historical. Any tips or knowledge who's be really appreciated

All I remember from my parents talking about Christmas is that it wasn't considered that big a deal. We are Scottish though so Hogmanay was considered more of a celebration. Rationing ended in 1952 so everyone went a bit mad for sweets, chocolate, sugar etc. Get him a stocking with a tangerine in it - my mum remembers that with great fondness!

Have a look at radio programs popular at the time such as Round the Horne or Hancock's Half Hour. They might have a few Christmas specials you could play.

FInally Google is your friend here. Pop 1959s Christmas <country of origin> because it will differ from country to country.

Even the 1980s are considered worthy of historical study. 1950s are almost ancient and the post-war era/rise of consumerism/Cold War is quite interesting.

This is a lovely thing to do for your dad.

 

[Notorious PIG]

I'm on a bit of a Pompeii bender at the moment. I saw the exhibition( in Australia) when on a school trip many years ago and it was incredible. I can't imagine how it must be to see the real thing.

I was lucky enough to visit the La Brea Tar Pits when I was ten, that's what really kick-started my fascination with all things ancient.

Visiting places like Pompeii in the flesh really feels so engaging/captivating and makes me imagine and appreciate their splendor even more.

I didn’t expect anything that old to be in the middle of LA . Fascinating it is.

 

[Tatooine_legend1]

I’ve been interested in Greek mythology ever since learning about it in primary school 30 years ago, but only in recent years developed an interest in general history from all sorts of eras, be it Greco-Roman, WW2, 1950s, Victorian, etc. I’ve a particular amazement with the capabilities of ancient people. I was wowed when I recently saw one of the first roads and first underground sewage systems ever built.

Some of my favorite historical places I’ve visited so far are:

Acropolis, Athens
Al Hambra Palace, Granada
Knossos Palace, Minoa, Crete
King Henry VIII’s Palace, Hampton Court
La Brea Tar Pit, Los Angeles
Pompei

It's a shame that Iraq, Syria and Iran are kind of off limits to foreign visitors, especially from 'the west' as those places are old too. I read that Saddam Hussein built his palace on the area where Ancient city of Babylon once was. I thought that was pretty neat actually.

Here is an article about it:

Inside the Abandoned Babylon That Saddam Hussein Built

“If I could, I would go without shoes here, because it’s a holy place,” says a guide to the ancient site.

www.atlasobscura.com

 

[Notorious PIG]

It's a shame that Iraq, Syria and Iran are kind of off limits to foreign visitors, especially from 'the west' as those places are old too. I read that Saddam Hussein built his palace on the area where Ancient city of Babylon once was. I thought that was pretty neat actually.

Here is an article about it:

Inside the Abandoned Babylon That Saddam Hussein Built

“If I could, I would go without shoes here, because it’s a holy place,” says a guide to the ancient site.

www.atlasobscura.com

My husband served in Iraq and ended up in Saddam’s palace (after it’d had been stripped bare of course)! I’d never given this region much thought apart from ‘war-torn’, but he told me about the historical beauty of Iraq and said he would’ve have loved us to go together to see the ancient sites. Plus Syria and Iran as you mentioned.

Such a tragic shame that it most likely can never happen in our lifetime.

 

[WeepingCassandra]

I find Skara Brae endlessly fascinating. I live in Australia and as much as I like our Indigenous culture they were mainly nomadic so left no real tangible traces of where they lived. I'd love to see old bronze/Neolithic/copper age settlements one day.

We live about a 10 minute drive from a neolithic long barrow; it’s at the top of a farmers field and it blows my mind how we can occupy the same space that the early humans did. It also blows my mind that there are places left untouched for 1000s of years; given how tit people can be.

 

[Tatooine_legend1]

My husband served in Iraq and ended up in Saddam’s palace (after it’d had been stripped bare of course)! I’d never given this region much thought apart from ‘war-torn’, but he told me about the historical beauty of Iraq and said he would’ve have loved us to go together to see the ancient sites. Plus Syria and Iran as you mentioned.

Such a tragic shame that it most likely can never happen in our lifetime.

This is a great little video on Damascus, Syria. Looks like a good place. I hope one day I could visit.

Damascus is one of the world's oldest cities. Its said that the city had inhabitants as early as 8,000BC-10,000BC.